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North Dakota court records

Who holds it: State district courts, with clerk of district court services in each county provided by the Supreme Court and funded by the state, through judicial-system employees or service agreements. Clerks are the custodians. Municipal courts are listed separately.1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. What is public and what is sealed
  2. Related records in North Dakota
  3. How North Dakota handles it
  4. Court records in North Dakota counties with a full guide
  5. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  6. Sources

Fees

Certified copy $20, additional copies of the same document $10; no per-page charge; electronic copies free; record search $10 per name.2

Statewide case search

North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry (NDCRI), publicsearch.ndcourts.gov: free, covering criminal, traffic, civil, family, probate, judgments and calendars. Not the official record, and not certified.3

Free search

What is public and what is sealed

What is public
Generally open under Admin. Rule 41. The clerk provides written responses on written request under Rule 47.4
Sealed and confidential records
Confidential under Rule 41 § 3(b)(6): among others, dismissed deferred impositions and pretrial diversions, no-probable-cause cases, records sealed under ch. 12-60.1, sealed evictions, domestic violence protection order files except orders, and divorce property and debt listings. Juvenile, adoption, paternity and mental health commitment records are also confidential.4
Criminal history checks: state repository
Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Office of Attorney General, Bismarck. Only BCI can supply a ND criminal history record check.5
Criminal history checks: fee
$15. $5 for an eligible nonprofit organization after approval of its fee-reduction application (statute: nonprofit operated in ND exclusively for charitable purposes for the benefit of minors). Mail: check or money order payable to "ND Attorney General", no cash; drop-off at the Bismarck office: check, money order or exact cash.6
Criminal history checks: who may order
A written request naming the requester with the required identifiers, subject to § 12-60-16.6: release covers non-purged, non-sealed convictions and reportable events within the three years before the request. Without a signed authorization, BCI mails the subject a notice.6
Divorce records: who holds it
Clerk of court or recorder in the county where the decree was granted, as listed by HHS.7
Probate: who holds it
District court, through the Clerk of District Court in the county of the case. Case information is in the free NDCRI search.3

How North Dakota handles it

  • Courts outside the open records law. Courts are not under the open records law; their access rule is Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 41.8
  • Clerk may cover several counties. Clerks serve a whole court district in some places: Williams County's clerk holds records for Williams, McKenzie and Divide Counties.9

Court records in North Dakota counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Burleigh County—North Dakota District Court, South Central Judicial District10State clerk fees: certified copy $20 (additional copies of same document $10); no per-page charge for certified copies; copies $.10 per page; no fee for electronic copies11
Cass County—District Court, East Central Judicial District12Certified copy $20, additional copies of the same document $10; no per-page charge; electronic copies free; record search $10 per name.13

For any other county, see the county list on the North Dakota guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any North Dakota office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: court records in every state. Everything else in North Dakota: North Dakota public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. N.D.C.C. ch. 27-05.2 Clerk of District Court Funding and FeesNorth Dakota Legislative Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  2. North Dakota Court Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2025North Dakota Supreme Court / ND Court Systemchecked November 4, 2026
  3. Case search Help - FAQNorth Dakota Supreme Court / ND Court Systemchecked November 4, 2026
  4. N.D. Sup. Ct. Admin. R. 41 Access to Court RecordsNorth Dakota Supreme Court / ND Court Systemchecked November 4, 2026
  5. Background Check v. ND Criminal History Record CheckNorth Dakota Attorney Generalchecked November 4, 2026
  6. Requesting a Criminal History Record CheckNorth Dakota Attorney Generalchecked November 4, 2026
  7. Certified Copies of Divorce RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  8. Open Records & MeetingsNorth Dakota Attorney Generalchecked November 4, 2026
  9. Clerk of District CourtWilliams County, NDchecked November 4, 2026
  10. North Dakota Courts Records InquiryNorth Dakota Supreme Courtchecked November 7, 2026
  11. District Court FeesNorth Dakota Courtschecked November 7, 2026
  12. Case search Help - FAQNorth Dakota Supreme Court / ND Court Systemchecked November 4, 2026
  13. North Dakota Court Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2025North Dakota Supreme Court / ND Court Systemchecked November 4, 2026